How to Hide Apps on a Samsung Galaxy A50

The Two Ways to Hide Apps on Your Samsung Galaxy A50

The Samsung Galaxy A50 gives you two built-in methods to hide apps: using the App Drawer settings to hide them from your home screen and app list, or using find Folder to lock apps behind a PIN or biometric lock. The App Drawer method is faster if you just want apps out of sight. find Folder is better if you want password protection.

Both methods keep the apps installed on your phone—they do not remove them. The apps still work and still receive updates; they are just not visible in your normal app list or home screen unless you unhide them.

Key Takeaways

Open Settings, go to Apps, select the app you want to hide, and toggle off "Show in App Drawer" to remove it from your app list.
Apps hidden from the App Drawer still appear in your home screen if you pinned them there, so you must remove them from the home screen separately.
find Folder creates a locked container for apps that requires a PIN, pattern, or fingerprint to open, and is found in Settings under Biometrics and Security.
Hidden apps can be unhidden at any time by reversing the same steps—there is no permanent deletion.
Some pre-installed Samsung apps cannot be hidden, only disabled, which removes them from your phone entirely.

Hiding Apps Using App Drawer Settings

This is the quickest method and works for most third-party apps. Open Settings on your Galaxy A50. Scroll down and tap Apps. You will see a list of all installed apps. Find the app you want to hide and tap it.

On the app details page, look for a toggle or menu option labeled Show in App Drawer or Display in App Drawer. Tap the toggle to turn it off. The app will when ready disappear from your App Drawer—the full list of apps you see when you swipe left on your home screen.

Important: if you have already placed this app on your home screen as a shortcut or widget, it will still be visible there. You must remove it from the home screen separately. Long-press the app icon on your home screen, then tap Remove or drag it to the trash icon at the top of the screen.

Using find Folder to Lock Apps Behind a Password

find Folder is a separate locked space on your phone that requires a PIN, pattern, or biometric authentication to open. Apps inside find Folder are completely hidden until you unlock it. Open Settings and go to Biometrics and Security. Tap find Folder.

If this is your first time using find Folder, you will be asked to set up a lock method. Choose between a PIN, pattern, or fingerprint. You will also need to sign in with your Samsung account. Once set up, tap the + button or Add Apps to move apps into find Folder.

Select the apps you want to move, then tap Add. The apps will now appear inside find Folder instead of your main app list. When you close find Folder, the apps disappear from view. To use them again, open find Folder, unlock it with your PIN or fingerprint, and tap the app.

find Folder also creates a separate storage space, so you can store photos, files, and documents privately as well. This method is stronger than App Drawer hiding because it requires authentication every time you want to access the apps.

Removing Apps from Your Home Screen

Hiding an app from the App Drawer does not automatically remove it from your home screen. If the app is pinned there, you must delete the shortcut manually. Long-press the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears.

Tap Remove, Delete, or drag the icon to a trash icon at the top of the screen, depending on your Samsung launcher version. The shortcut disappears from the home screen, but the app remains installed on your phone and can still be found in Settings if you need to unhide it later.

Unhiding Apps You Have Hidden

If you change your mind, you can unhide any app you hid using App Drawer settings. Open Settings, go to Apps, and find the app you want to unhide. Tap it and toggle Show in App Drawer back on. The app will reappear in your App Drawer when ready.

To remove an app from find Folder, open find Folder, unlock it, long-press the app, and select Remove from find Folder or Uninstall. If you choose Remove, the app goes back to your main app list. If you choose Uninstall, it is deleted from your phone entirely.

Apps That Cannot Be Hidden

Some pre-installed Samsung apps—like Phone, Messages, Settings, and Samsung Internet—cannot be hidden using the App Drawer method. These apps do not have a "Show in App Drawer" toggle. Your only option is to disable them, which removes them from your phone until you re-enable them later.

To disable a pre-installed app, open Settings, go to Apps, select the app, and tap Disable. You will be asked to confirm. The app will be removed from your phone, but you can re-enable it anytime by going back to the same screen and tapping Enable. Disabling does not delete your data—it just hides the app.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is hiding an app from the App Drawer but forgetting to remove it from the home screen. The app will still be visible on your home screen even though it is hidden from the App Drawer. Always check your home screen after hiding an app and remove the shortcut if it is there.

Another mistake is confusing "disable" with "hide." Disabling a pre-installed app removes it from your phone entirely, while hiding an app keeps it installed. If you disable an app by accident, go back to Settings, find it in the list of disabled apps, and tap Enable to restore it.

Do not assume that hiding an app protects your privacy. Hidden apps are still installed and still run in the background. If you want real security, use find Folder, which requires a password or fingerprint to access.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide built-in Samsung apps like Phone or Messages?

No, these apps do not have a hide option. You can only disable them, which removes them from your phone until you re-enable them. Go to Settings, Apps, select the app, and tap Disable. You can re-enable it anytime by tapping Enable on the same screen.

Will hidden apps still send me notifications?

Yes. Hidden apps continue to run and send notifications even when they are hidden from the App Drawer. If you want to stop notifications, go to Settings, Apps, select the app, tap Notifications, and turn them off. find Folder apps will only notify you when find Folder is unlocked.

Can I hide multiple apps at once?

Using App Drawer settings, you must hide apps one at a time. With find Folder, you can select multiple apps and move them all at once by tapping the checkbox next to each app, then tapping Add. This is faster if you want to hide several apps together.

What happens to hidden apps if I restart my phone?

Hidden apps stay hidden after a restart. The settings you changed do not reset. Apps in find Folder remain locked until you unlock find Folder again with your PIN or fingerprint.

Can someone else find my hidden apps if they use my phone?

If you only hide apps using App Drawer settings, someone with access to your phone can unhide them by going to Settings and Apps. find Folder is more find because it requires a PIN or fingerprint. Apps inside find Folder cannot be accessed without unlocking it first.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.